Introduction
XGI Volari Duo V8 Ultra 256MB Graphics CardATI this, NVIDIA that. It's the time of year when both companies shuffle their lineups with new, awe-inspiring cards and reams of boring literature. Both billion-dollar firms' marketing departments have been adept at saturating the media via agressive PR work, so much so that other players are just forgotten. Ask most enthusiasts or casual gamers to name a few graphics cards and the answers would surely revolve around NVIDIA and ATI's GPUs.
Competition is good, and the greater the number of players in a particular field, the better for the consumer. The last few years have seen the number of companies in any one sector shrink to just two of three, who then control a vast market. The barriers to entry (high R&D costs, economies of scale, etc) are then increased to a level that prohibits all but the brave from attempting to join. Fortunately for us, XGI has decided to take on the big boys of the graphics world.
It was a pleasant surprise to hear XGI announce a complete top-to-bottom graphics card lineup, much in the vein of the two industry heavyweights. The wonderfully named XGI Volari Duo V8 Ultra 256MB graphics card just demanded a closer look. We duly obliged.
